The Mission Bay boys soccer team saw its run for back-to-back CIF championships come to an end in the Div. III semifinal round after a 3-0 loss to Central Union in El Centro on Wednesday evening.
The Bucs were coming off a dramatic 1-0 victory in the quarterfinal round against Canyon Crest Academy and a 4-0 blowout win over Preuss School UCSD in the opening round.
“They have some very gifted players and took it to us early,” said Mission Bay head coach Joe Panian. “I thought we did a good job throughout the season, and it was a very successful one even though it’s frustrating we couldn’t win it this time.”
Central Union capitalized on its early scoring chances, taking a 2-0 lead at halftime, which made the task for Mission Bay all the more daunting. The home team did not let up and was able to put the match out of reach in the second half with a late insurance goal to seal its victory and a trip to the championship match.
“We made some adjustments to our formation, trying to make the game a little more competitive in the second half, but they got us on the counter for the third goal,” Panian added. “They are a very deserving team with a lot of class. I felt we deserved something out of this, considering we were so close to winning our league. I’m proud how the team gave it their all and left everything on the field.”
Mission Bay ended the season at 14-4-3 overall. It would have ended up the league title if University City had lost its final regular season finale against Hoover, which it ended up winning 2-0.
“We did our best, and I thought it was a hard-fought game, but they just outplayed us,” said senior Spencer Morton. “It was a great season overall. We won most of our games, and I had fun with the guys. I’m going to miss it for sure.”
Morton scored what turned out to be the deciding goal on a penalty-kick conversion in the quarterfinal round. He was among the standout performers this season, where the Bucs outscored its opponents 53-23 and finished with eight shutouts.
“Spencer Morton was a great leader last year as well as this year, along with Jackson Villani, who had an unbelievable season scoring goals, and Daniel Arujo, who was awesome in the back, providing such a great presence,” said Panian.
